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HR Management

More companies opt for mandatory vacation, but is it legal?

08/01/2002
Continuing a cost-cutting step they took last year, some companies, especially tech firms, are again asking employees to take mandatory vacations. The forced time off, paid or not, is catching …

To beat the union heat, avoid 7 deadly management sins

08/01/2002
Why do some employers manage to operate their company in a union-free environment, while others in the same industry and city have a unionized work force? The reasons fit into …

English-Only Rule Is Legal in Rare Circumstances

08/01/2002

Q. Is it legal for our company to require employees to speak only English at work? —B.K., Idaho

Employ workers outside America? Two rulings boost your legal risks

07/01/2002
1. EU harassment rule. Employers in Europe will need to do a better job of preventing sexual harassment. Reason: A newly approved European Union (EU) directive, which takes effect in 2005, …

High court ruling forces longer retention of records

07/01/2002
In another ruling last month, the Supreme Court said employees in some cases can file discrimination charges even if allegations fall outside the statute of limitations. Under Title VII, employees …

I-9 form: Feds give mixed message about which IDs you can accept

07/01/2002
When filing Employment Eligibility Verification forms (I-9s) for new hires, you may be unknowingly accepting documents that no longer are allowed. Reason: The I-9 version that em-ployers are given and …

Include temp workers in anti-harassment policy

07/01/2002
Nearly 70 women who worked as temporary on-site telemarketers at a Chicago car dealership filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court, claiming widespread sexual harassment by the dealership’s management. Most of …

You’re free to adjust benefit plan without fear of FMLA suit

07/01/2002
When it merged with another bank, Wells Fargo replaced its traditional employee sick- and vacation-leave policy with a paid-time-off (PTO) program and a short-term disability plan. A PTO policy combines annual …

Don’t stack the deck in arbitration

07/01/2002
Daniel Murray, a full-time union organizer, signed a mandatory arbitration agreement as a condition of employment. The pact said arbitrators would be chosen from a list provided by his employer and …

Eligibility for Holiday Pay Is Your Call

07/01/2002

Q. Is there a law that states the number of hours necessary to be considered full time for being eligible for paid holidays? Our handbook says an employee who works fewer than 40 hours a week is considered part time. An employee who works 34 hours a week wonders if he should be eligible for paid holidays. Our handbook says he’s not. Is that OK? —B.D., Michigan